Mahershala Ali has either the worst luck or the best luck in Hollywood. The veteran actor has had a great run, except lately, the situation has become complicated.
The Green Book actor was set to play the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Blade in a standalone feature, but Kevin Feige shelved that project not too long ago. That means Ali's hopes of MCU glory are on the back burner. And now, it appears as if his Jurassic World: Rebirth character will be equally unlucky.
In the first trailer for Rebirth, fans are introduced to Zora Bennett (Scarlett Johansson) as she seeks out Duncan Kincaid (Mahershala Ali). The latter is familiar with passable routes to InGen's original research facility, so he fills the guide role in this Jurassic outing. Kincaid is seen in various sequences, although one points to an early demise.
During an encounter with a strange-looking dinosaur that's best described as a behemoth, Kincaid lights up a flare to lure the monstrosity away. It's a trick that's worked several times in the past, having been effective in dire situations. Unfortunately, Kincaid overlooks a crucial factor.
The behemoth doesn't have eyes like a T-Rex, making the tried and true lure futile. Because while the flare idea worked for Alan Grant in the original Jurassic Park and then again for Claire Dearing in Jurassic World, it'll be ineffective against a creature with zero vision. Kincaid, standing there with a flare in his hand, waving at the thing, will undoubtedly perish; he simply doesn't know it.
Mind you, not having vision may be a lifesaver in the long run. Assuming the behemoth relies on its other senses to find prey, it might not be as menacing as once thought. Perhaps the blind dinosaur fumbles around on its misshapen legs, unable to gain proper footing.
Logistically, the tyrannosaurus from the original Jurassic Park shouldn't have been able to move very fast based on its weight and shape. It did, probably due to the genetic modifications that made the T-Rex a perfect specimen. Considering the new dinosaur in Rebirth has two heavy appendages hanging from its torso, it'll likely lumber around like a sauropod rather than an agile carnivore. Individuals tend to forget that aberrations aren't more adept at surviving—they're less equipped for it. The blind dinosaur, for example, will probably struggle to hunt human prey that's not directly in front of it.
As long as Kincaid has some way of slinking away from the dinosaur resembling a Xenomorph, Ali's character might still have a future in the Jurassic World franchise, after all. Nothing's confirmed yet, though, in all likelihood, the scene will determine whether or not audiences will see Ali's character return in a future installment.
Jurassic World: Rebirth hits theaters on July 2, 2025.